FPGAs & ASICs

As experts in high-performance signal processing using FPGAs, we achieve computation reaching hundreds of billions of calculations a second.

Our proprietary ASIC technologies – such as Sapphyre VLIW processors, XAP processors and Pizzicato all-digital radio – enable us to achieve similar performance at even lower cost and power consumption.

Embedded systems

Embedded systems are the brains behind many modern products, enabling complex systems to be controlled with sophisticated algorithms, often in a very small physical size.

Analogue

We’re pioneering the development of analogue electronics to deliver ultimate performance, particularly in the realm of sensor technology.

We are highly skilled in fine-tuning power consumption, cost and noise performance to optimise the solution to a given application – from high-performance control systems and conditioning systems for highly demanding signal processing, to low-noise, low-power applications of all kinds.

We continue to develop low-power solutions to enable the miniaturisation of sensors, applying analogue electronics techniques in emerging areas such as synthetic biology and molecular diagnostics.

Power

Power electronics is a vital component in almost every device we develop – from tiny, high-efficiency switch-mode power supplies and compact, low-cost motor controllers, to large three-phase units.

We use our expertise to increase reliability, lower cost and improve thermal performance, building upon our track-record of significant breakthroughs. This includes increasing power density to develop a 10kW digitally controlled power supply occupying only 2U of a 19-inch rack, and a smart, optimised power control for a high accuracy, low-cost stepper motor controller.

Experience

Electronic engineering has been a core skill since our inception in 1960 and we have been developing ASICs since the late 1980s.

Today, our electronics experts are located in all our major global offices, including our Cambridge (UK) headquarters and our Boston, Seattle and San Francisco (US) offices.

Integrating electronics & software

For nearly 60 years, we have been at the forefront – adopting new processors and SOCs (System On Chip), developing custom silicon chips and processors, and selecting the best standard chips and toolchains for each application.

Furthermore, our ability to optimise across electronics and software is key to delivering software-configurable hardware platforms which enable a product’s functionality to be updated throughout its lifetime.

The world’s first fully-digital radio

Pizzicato is a glimpse into the future of wireless design. Built purely from computing power, Pizzicato’s all-digital transceiver is smaller, cheaper and capable of making more intelligent use of the available spectrum.

This breakthrough technology promises to vastly increase the range of wireless applications and to be a powerful enabler for both the Internet of Things (IoT) and 5G technology.